


Impossible Dream

by geeky__chick



Series: Brutasha Ficlets [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Spoilers, Baby, Domestic Bliss, Fluff, Gen, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Pure uncompromising fluff, baby avenger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-18
Updated: 2015-06-18
Packaged: 2018-04-05 01:45:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4160916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geeky__chick/pseuds/geeky__chick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>More family than team, the Avengers gather to welcome their newest member: Baby Banner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Impossible Dream

“I should be there.”

“There are about five thousand and eleven reasons you should be exactly where you are, Banner.” The voice of Tony Stark over the phone was comforting to a man who had spent so very long without friends. “Just calm down, hang with Mrs. Barton, and it’ll all be over in no time.”

“I feel useless.” Bruce continued, pacing his way from the toy-strewn living room and into the kitchen. “I can’t believe I just left like that. I can’t do this. I should _be_ there.”

“No.” The billionaire turned superhero-billionaire said, quite sharply. “How is it going to help if you Hulk-out in the middle of a hospital?”

Ok, so his best friend had a point.

Bruce Banner ran a hand through his curly hair, pacing back to the living room. Lila and Cooper Barton were still at school, but little Nat was running down the stairs on sturdy three-year-old legs. He, of course, was stark naked and dripping wet.

Laura Barton’s laughter could be heard from upstairs. Banner turned at the sound, finding the sight of a very nude little boy  running from his bathwater to be rather amusing. Unable to help himself, Banner waved laughing child over, successfully hiding him behind the armchair.

Tony was still talking, so Bruce tried to clue back in as Laura called for her wayward son.

“I’ve got the suite all decked out at the new facility.” Stark exclaimed with obvious pride. “I know I already did the house, but this needed to be done. Let’s face it, you practically live in this lab.”

“Tony,” Banner warned as Little Nat giggled behind him. “I told you that was too much.”

“Nothing is too much for you, my friend.” Tony laughed. “It’s completely state of the art. I’ve already had F.R.I.D.A.Y download a version of her AI into the security system, it’s called Poppins. Everything has to be biometrically scanned before the doors open and with a password, the whole thing locks down tighter than Cap’s ass in a whorehouse.”

Bruce frowned, pulling the cell phone from his ear as though Tony could see his incredulous look.

“What?” He asked when he replaced the phone to his ear.

“Nevermind.” Stark went on. Bruce could practically hear him rolling his eyes. “Witch and Vizh are working on the presents by now. I think they may have bought out an FAO Swartz and every specialty store in the country. My credit line is still crying.”

“We asked you not to do that, Tony!”

“What? We haven’t actually _given_ you anything, so don’t worry. Family tradition is still intact.”

“Uh-huh,” Bruce replied as Laura appeared at the staircase. She was soaking wet and smiling as she searched the vicinity for her freshly-bathed son. “Tell that to my face when Nat finds out.”

Laura arched a questioning brow at her housemate, whom simply pulled an innocent look onto his face. As she turned to search the den, Bruce motioned for Little Nat to run. The boy bolted for the kitchen with stealth skills to make his namesake proud.

“I just…I should be there.”

There came a sudden, understanding pause. In the three years since Sokovia, the Avengers had become more than a team. They were a family, driven together by necessity and bonded by love. They teased one another mercilessly, had almost destroyed Pepper and Tony’s wedding with a badly timed Vegas trip, and were more often than not battered and bruised, but Bruce couldn’t have lived without his family.

That was what Fury had done for him, sending the Black Widow to Calcutta. It hadn’t been a mission, not completely. Fury had given him a family to live for.

And so much more.

“Bruce,” Tony’s voice was soft, understanding. “I know. But it’s just one of those things that’s not possible.”

“Tony, none of this should be possible.” Bruce almost laughed, the joy from that day bubbling into his chest again. “It happened, though. And I’m missing it.”

“It’s one day.” Tony insisted. “Staying with Lady Hawk is just a way of making sure you don’t miss any others.”

“Yeah.” Bruce agreed in his quiet manner. “Yeah, you’re right.”

They ended the call a few minutes later, Bruce wanting to keep the line open in case he was needed back at Base. Laura shouted with triumph as she located her son, the boy ran away from his mother while screeching with happiness.

Bruce stared at the video monitor, as he had been when Tony called, and waited for news.

~*~

It took her best friend several minutes to get the video call up and running. He fiddled with the dials, not quite happy with the picture quality. Natasha paid him almost no mind, caught up in admiring her handiwork.

She was perfect. Dark haired, pink skinned, and perfect. Natasha stared down at her tiny daughter, smiling when the newborn clutched at her index finger with that teeny hand. Clint was talking to Laura, whom erupted in happy shouts. Natasha did not look up, not concerned with the Bartons for perhaps the first time in her life.

Instead, she stared down at the bundle of wonder in her arms.

“Natasha?”

Hearing her husband’s voice, Natasha wearily raised her head. Red Room training or not, she’d been in labor for the last 19 hours. Even she had to take time to recover. She shifted a shock of red hair out of her eyeline, tucking the sweat-induced curl behind her ear.

“Hi, Papa.” Nat replied, her unpainted lips breaking into a smile.

Bruce was staring at her from the living room of the Barton Homestead. His curly hair had obviously been ruffled by his hands several times and his eyes were rimmed with red. Those familiar hands were clasped over his mouth while tears stained his cheeks.

“She’s here.” Natasha whispered, not noticing that Clint had stepped to the side, to give them some privacy. “She’s here, Bruce. And she’s perfect.”

Her voice choked with emotion, something that so few people had ever seen. This was impossible, especially for them. How did enough reproductive cells survive the gamma radiation? Had the doctors in Russia really been that incompetent? Was this really something they deserved?

He did, Natasha reminded herself as Bruce stared through the screen at their daughter. Bruce deserved everything she could give him.

“You’re ok?” Bruce asked, his breath hitching as emotion overtook him. “You’re alright, Natasha? No complications?”

The assassin shook her head. “None. Clint was great.”

“No stranger to a birthing room, me.” Her friend chimed in with a chuckle. “She’s a champ, Doc, barely swore and never so much as screamed. Almost broke my hand, but that’s expected.”

“Thank you,” Bruce said to the archer. “Thank you for being there. Natasha, can I…can you lift her a little so I can see her?”

Natasha sat up easily, scooting with only a minor wince, toward the edge of the bed. Hawkeye rolled the screen a little closer as Nat shifted, pulling the blankets down from her baby girl’s tiny, pink-cheeked face.

“She looks like you.” Natasha insisted with a playful pout. “She’s so serious.”

Bruce was almost touching the screen as he peered at his daughter. The love there, even from hundreds of miles away, humbled Natasha almost to tears. She desperately wanted him to be with her, to hold her hand as she fought to bring their impossible child into the world.

The Other Guy, however, reacted poorly to Natasha in pain. Bruce had lost his battle with his alter ego on more than one occasion when Natasha was injured. It was best if he was not exposed to the process of labor and delivery. Clint stayed with her, the only person she trusted to stay with her as she delivered the baby, while Bruce was tucked safely away from anger-inducement at the Barton home.

Natasha hated herself for doing it, but she knew it was the right decision.

“She’s beautiful.” Bruce whispered into the camera. “Hi, Anya. This is your father. I’m not there, but I will be really soon. You’re so loved, Anya. So loved.”

Natasha shushed her husband lightly as his tears seemed to set their daughter off. She reached toward the screen, palm up, as she had a thousand times during their Lullabies. Bruce returned the gesture, his tear-streaked face breaking her heart. Natasha turned her palm upward, smiling as her husband turned his downward.

“I love you, Nat.” Bruce said softly. “I love you both, so much.”

“I know.” Natasha smiled, rocking her fussing newborn lightly. “Come get us, Papa.”

“I’m on my way.” Bruce agreed. “I’ll be leaving a gaggle of irritated Bartons, but I’m coming.”

Clint rolled his eyes, leaning between Natasha and the screen. “Tell the Bartons they can just calm the hell down. I’ll tag out when you get here.”

“Call Stark!” Natasha added quickly, ducking her head around Hawkeye’s. She slid her clean pinky into the new baby’s mouth to soothe her for a moment. “He’ll get the jet.”

“OK.” Bruce was practically vibrating with joy. “I’m coming, Tasha. I love you.”

~*~

For Tony Stark, a moment he would remember for the entirety of his life was the second Bruce Banner held his baby girl for the first time.

Since Natasha had labored in the Avengers Tower – still called such when it wasn’t in actual use as such – the entire team had assembled by the time Banner arrived. Barton had been there all along, holding Natasha’s hand when she pushed the child into the world. An actual doctor had taken care of the birth, but it was her best friend that cut the cord, since her husband couldn’t be there.

They were here now though, the original and new Avengers. Even Thor had come down the second Heimdall told him that Baby Banner was born. He arrived with a casket of mead and a boisterous smile, claiming that they would drink in honor of their newest arrival.

As Tony stood with his wife, he admired the little family. Natasha sat on one of the couches in the common room, covered in comfortable clothes as Bruce took his offspring into his shaking hands. Natasha instructed him, somewhat ridiculously, to mind the baby’s head. Tony didn’t think anything was penetrating the other man’s head. All his focus and energy was on inspecting his child.

There was such _love_ on the face of his friend. Everyone stood back, giving Banner a moment to simply stare at little Anya Antonia Banner. Tony hadn’t admitted it when his friend told him the reason behind his daughter’s middle name, but the realization that it was in his honor almost brought Stark to tears.

“Can we see her?”

Endless moments had passed before Dr. Jane Foster voiced the question. Everyone from the tiny scientist to Rhodes and his husband were straining toward the little pink bundle in Banner’s arms. The sometimes-rage-monster looked up, a startled expression on his face. It was as though he had forgot anyone was in the room. That was to be expected, though.

“Oh. Yeah!” Banner shifted Anya in his arms as Natasha rolled her eyes fondly. There was a soft, sweet look on her face that scared Tony. He wasn’t used to seeing the badass assassin all gooey.

“She’s so cute,” Jane cooed, having been the first to reach the Banner family. “She looks just like Bruce.”

Thor grinned, placing his massive hand gently on the child’s forehead. He said something in Asgardian that sounded like a prayer before he replied to his fiancée. “Yes, she does. A fine, strong child.”

Wanda Maximoff and the Vision appeared over Bruce’s shoulder, making appropriate congratulatory murmurs to the couple. They moved away quickly to allow Sam Wilson to admire the baby before the Rhodes’ moved in, followed swiftly by Captain America. Cap looked wistful for a minute, and Tony was reminded of that talk oh-so-long-ago. Maybe, just maybe, there was hope for Rogers.

Once everyone else had a turn, Pepper pushed Tony toward Bruce. He stepped up carefully, leaning down to look at the little human his friend had a hand in creating.

“Well, this won’t do. Comere, princess.”

Tony deftly lifted the baby from her father’s arms, holding her up so he could inspect her properly. Drowsy brown eyes opened as the child finished a yawn, looking at Tony with such a blasé expression, he cracked a grin.

“Ok, little missy, Uncle Tony is here.” He said, walking toward the windows with the baby. To his astonishment, no one stopped him. He continued to speak to the new child with a tone loud enough for everyone to hear. “I’m going to teach you all sorts of fun things. Forget about being a spy or a scientist, I’m going to teach you how to have fun. Just remember, when Mommy and Daddy say no, just ask Uncle Tony.”

Baby Anya sneezed. Tony arched a brow, turning to hand the baby to Pepper.

“Tough baby.”

~*~

In the quiet of their shared bedroom of the tower, Bruce blinked heavy eyes. He heard a rustle from the sheets beside him and immediately shushed his wife. Natasha lay back down as Bruce kicked the blankets off, rising from the warmth of his bed to peer into the little crib just a few feet away.

Humming softly, he lifted the fussing child into his arms a beat before she let loose a wail. He fumbled a little with the dimmer switch, turning it on so he could make his way toward the changing table. Though Anya was crying and kicking, changing her diaper turned out to be not as difficult as he had imagined.

Once she was cleaned up, he carried his new daughter back toward the bed. Natasha lay on her side, one breast exposed and a soft, sweet smile on her face. It was amazing to see that look on his wife’s face for longer than a moment. She had worn it all day.

Bruce settled their newborn on the bed beside his wife, watching with a sort of fascination as she latched the child onto her breast. In seconds, Anya was devouring her meal, so Bruce climbed back into bed with his family.

For a moment, he merely rested his head on the pillow, staring into the green gaze of the woman he loved beyond reason. She stared back, as she had every night since they found one another. Natasha kept Bruce’s gaze to remind him that she loved him, no matter the cost. Even when he doubted himself, her faith never faltered. She was the one thing that Bruce never doubted.

Reminded of the day everything really changed, Bruce wriggled a little closer.

“Do you remember when you found me in Chile?” Bruce asked quietly.

As expected, Natasha’s gaze narrowed. “Just because there’s a baby attached to me doesn’t mean I won’t kick your ass, Banner.”

Bruce arched a brow, tapped her nose with a fingertip. “Swear jar.”

Natasha rolled her eyes, though he could see her beautiful mouth fighting to keep the smirk at bay.

“Yes. I remember finding you six months after Ultron in that shack of a hospital in Chile, after you abandoned me by stealing a stealth mode Quinjet wearing your Green Suit.”

Again, Bruce chuckled. “That lapse in judgment aside, have I ever told you that was the best day of my life?”

Natasha’s green gaze softened considerably. She reached up with the hand not holding the baby to her breast, palm outward, in their well-loved lullaby.

“Sun’s gettin’ real low.”

Bruce grinned, raising his own hand to mirror hers as they had that morning. Their hands moved again, turning so that Bruce could lightly touch her palm. Natasha twisted her arm again, reaching up to lightly tap his bicep before slowly dragging her fingertips down along his arm until she ghosted over his fingertips.

“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, Romanov.”

“Yeah,” Natasha grinned, her hand falling to the baby between them. “Back at you, Big Guy.”

He moved a little closer, so his forehead touched hers. Between them, their hands intertwined, resting on the back of their impossible dream.

**Author's Note:**

> I never write fluff...and I did it here. This is domestic fluff.
> 
> I just wanted to get one instance where I could have a baby Banner...


End file.
